Air cleaner and silencer assembly



Aug. 9, 1938.

H. G. KAMRATH 2,126,643

AIR CLEANER AND SILENCER ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 12, 1936 I I I Z04 2 jlllilllJ {Iii-v. I i H H Patented Aug. 9, 1938 UNITED STATES AIR CLEANER AND SILENCER ASSEMBLY Herbert G. Kamrath, Flint, Mich, minor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Micln, a corporation of Delaware Application September 12, 1936, Serial No. 100,538

2 Claim.

This invention relates to air cleaner and silencer assemblies of the type disclosed in my application Serial No. 50,745 which was filed on November 20, 1935 and has for its principal object to improve such assemblies by making the air cleaning element easily removable and replaceable so as to facilitate servicing of it and to do this in such a way as to reduce the cost 01' the assemblies.

For a better understanding of the nature and objects of this invention, reference is made to the following specification wherein there is described the preferred embodiment of the invention which is shown in the accompanying drawing.

15 In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 shows, partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section, an air cleaner and silencer assembly in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the assembly shown in Figure 1 with the cap and filter element removed.

Figure 3 is an exploded view on a reduced scale of the assembly shown in the preceding figures.

The assembly shown in the drawing consists essentially of a body III, a filter element It and a domed cap I 2.

The body It) includes a cylinder l3 over whose lower end there is secured a head I 4. Over the upper end of the cylinder l3, there is secured an element l5 which is shaped generally like a brimmed hat with an annular channel IS in its brim and a centrally disposed orifice encircled by an inwardly projecting fiange l'l in the top of 35 its crown. Disposed below the crown of the element l5 and the flange I! which encircles the orifice in the top of it is an element l8 whose outer margin is joined to the inner margin of the brim of the element 15. The element l8,

with the brim of the element l5, constitutes the upper head of the cylinder I 3 and, with the crown of the element l5, defines an inwardly opening recess I 9 which constitutes what is known as a hiss gap.

Through the body formed by the cylinder l3 and its upper end lower heads, there extends a duct which consists of telescopically related tubes 20 and 2| which are alined with the orifice in the top of the crown of the element l5. The tube 20 extends through an opening in and is joined to the lower head H with its upper end disposed about half way between the upper and lower heads. The tube 2| extends through an opening in and is joined to the element l8. It is of smaller diameter than the tube 20 and extends well into and defines with it an annular aperture 22. A partition 23 whose outer margin is secured in the joint between the element I5 and the cylinder I3 and whose inner edge is joined to the tube 2| and a partition 24 whose outer margin is secured in the joint between the head l4 and the cylinder l3 and whose inner edge is joined to the tube 20 divide the interior of the compartment defined by the tubes 20 and 2| and the cylinder l3 and its upper and lower heads into three chambers 25, 26 and 21. The upper chamber 25 communicates with the duct 241-2! through orifices 28 in the tube 2| and with the orifices constitutes a simple resonator. The lower chamber 21 communicates with the intermediate chamber 26 through a tube 29 which is secured in an opening in the partition 24 and the intermediate chamber 26 communicates with the duct 20-2I through the annular aperture 22. The chamber 21, the tube 29, the chamber 23 and the aperture 22 constitute a com pound resonator.

The filter element H encircles the crown of the element IS with its lower end seated in the channel IS in the brim thereof and its upper end projecting somewhat above the top of the crown. The filter element consists of coaxial inner and outer cylindrical screens 30 and 3| whose interspace is filled with a suitable liquid-coated filter medium 38 such as that disclosed in the Webb application Serial No. 752,232 which was filed on November 9, 1934. The rim of the cap I! rests on the upper end of the filter element I I and has on its outer edge a downwardly projecting flange which embraces the upper end of the filter element, The portion of the cap between its rim and its center is pressed outwardly to accommodate an annular pad 32 of sound absorbing material, such as felt, which is .held in place by crossed arms 33 and 34 which are secured to the rim and center of the cap. The filter element is firmly clamped and held in place between the cap and the brim of the element l5 by a nut 35 threaded on a stud 36 carried by a yoke 31 which is secured to the top of the crown of the element l5 and extends across the opening therein. However, as Figure 3 indicates, the cap l2 may be lifted oil the filter element II and the filter element lifted off the body l0 when the nut 35 is un screwed. The consequent ease with which the filter element may be separated from the body and the cap, of course, facilitates servicing of the filter element.

The air cleaner and silencer assembly which is shown in the drawing was designed for installation on an internal combustion engine with the outerendotthetubeilconnectedtotheair intake tube of the carburetor so that it cleans the air that enters the carburetor and silences the so-called intake noises of the engine. Although the auembly has been described as it it were to be installed in the up lht position in which it is shown in the drawing, it may, oi course. be installed upside down or in any other position. 11' the assembly is installed so that the filter element would be exposed directly to the blast oi the engine cooling fan or any other current of air. there may be provided, as shown in the drawing, a bafile I! to shield it therefrom.-

When the assembly is installed in the described manner and the engine on which it is installed is operating, the suction oi the engine draws air from the atmosphere through the filter element I I, over the crown oi the element II and through the opening in the top of it and the duct flfl into the carburetor and cylinders oi the engine.

The filter element, of course, trees the air which passes through it of ioreign matter. The pad u of sound absorbing material in the cap I! eliminates components oi the intake noises which are due to sound waves of high frequencies. The hissgap ll eliminates components 01' the intake noises which are due to sound waves oi high frequencies which are not sufiiciently attenuated by the pad of sound absorbing material. The resonators 2l--2l and I'I-lI-ll-fl are tuned in the manner set forth in the Wilson application Serial No. 470,700, filed July 25, 1930 and eliminate components of the intake noises which are due to sound waves of lower frequencies.

I claim:

1. In an appliance oi the clam disclosed, a member shaped generally like a brimmed hat with an orifice in the top of its crown, an-annular filter element -oi' which one end is seated on the brim and encircles the crown of the generally hat shaped member, a cap whose rim is seated on the other end oi the filter element and spaced from the generally hat shaped member solely thereby, and means by which the filter element is releasably clamped between the cap and the brim oi the generally hat shaped member including a yoke whose ends are secured to the top of the crown oi the hat shaped member and a threaded member which extends through the cap and is connected to the yoke.

2. In an appliance oi the class disclosed, a member shaped generally like a brimmed hat with an orifice in the top oi its crown and an annular channel in its brim, an annular filter element of which one end is'seated in the annular channel in the brim and encircles the crown of the generally hat shaped member, a cap whose rim is seated on the other end 01' the filter element and spaced from the generally hat shaped member solely thereby with a fiange'on its rim which encircles the end of the filter element on which the cap is seated, and means by which the filter element is releasably clamped between the cap and the brim oi' the generally hat shaped member, including a yoke whose ends are secured to the top of the crown of the generally hat shaped member, a stud which is carried by the yoke and extends through the cap, and a nut threaded on the stud.

HERBERT G. KAMIRATH. 

